


Animal

by nakedrednailpolish



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Closeted Character, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 17:50:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6668401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakedrednailpolish/pseuds/nakedrednailpolish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which Emma comforts Regina after the brunette visits her homophobic parents.<br/>Based off of a comment on a Facebook post.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Animal

            Emma’s heart soars on Sunday evening when she hears the jingle of keys in the door and footsteps on wood as Regina enters their shared apartment.

            “Hey!” She jumps up and rushes to her girlfriend, who, she notes, looks pale, tired, and absolutely drained. Before Emma can say or notice anything else, Regina crashes into her and lays a passionate kiss on her lips, dropping her bags to the floor in favor of running fingers through Emma’s hair.

            Wrapping her arms around the brunette, Emma folds into the kiss, letting Regina’s tongue dip into her mouth as the brunette’s hands wander, cupping her cheeks, trailing across shoulders, until they settle on Emma’s breasts.

            Pulling away slightly to catch her breath, Emma teases, “Miss me?”

            Planting another kiss on Emma’s lips, Regina whispers, “Yes,” before yanking on the hem of Emma’s tank top. The blonde lets her tug the shirt off and toss it across the room, and Regina runs her hands over Emma’s stomach, feeling her newly exposed skin and firm abs.

            “How was your weekend?” Emma pants, tilting her head to kiss Regina’s neck as she undoes the buttons on Regina’s shirt.

            “What do you think?” Regina murmurs as she shrugs off her shirt and pulls Emma in for another kiss.

            Emma hates weekends like this. When Regina packs up and heads to her parents’ house, without Emma, the blonde never knows what to do with herself. She’ll start on the couch to watch TV, but won’t settle on a single channel; she’ll surf the internet, but wind up clicking through the same four websites; she’ll try to work out, but she’s too antsy to stick to one exercise longer than a few seconds; she paces back and forth through the apartment, debates trying to cook but doesn’t want to burn the building down without Regina’s guidance. She can’t sit still or focus on anything but what she imagines Regina’s going through every minute.

            Her girlfriend still hasn’t come out to her parents yet, and her incredibly conservative mom, without realizing what she’s doing, constantly makes comments that make Emma’s blood boil when Regina repeats them back to her. Cora won’t shut up about finding her a proper boyfriend. Although Regina doesn’t think her father would mind the relationship personally, she’s sure her mother would convince him to take her side should she come out to them.

            Every month, Emma tries to persuade Regina not to go, playfully taking pieces of clothing or essential toiletries from her suitcase in an effort to delay her, but her stubborn girlfriend refuses to cede, and even threatens to withhold sex if Emma doesn’t put her damn bra back into the suitcase this instant. She wishes Regina would at least let her come with her. It wouldn’t be as bad if Emma could provide moral support.

            _“You don’t have to do this alone. You could introduce me as your friend. Or your roommate,” Emma had said Friday, tossing the garment back onto the bed.  
_

_“Yes, and how long do you think it will take Mother to realize neither of those things are true?" Regina picked the bra up and packed it beside her other clothes. "She’s homophobic, not stupid.” Abandoning her things, Regina crossed the room, leaned in, and kissed her on the forehead. “I know you hate when I do this, but I’m going. Alone. It’s only one weekend.”_

_“One_ terrible _weekend that makes you come back looking like you’ve run a half marathon.”_

_“One weekend,” Regina had repeated, apt to remind Emma that not everything about her parents is bad._

_With a few more kisses and “I love you”s, Regina slipped out the door before Emma could deter her any further._

            Together, they take off each other’s clothes, stumble into the bedroom, and climb onto the mattress, all while touching and kissing and licking as much skin as possible, as if they’d been apart for weeks or months rather than days.

            As she brings the brunette closer to her orgasm, Emma glances up at Regina’s eyes, expecting to see a glimmer of love or lust or enjoyment but instead finding a hazy, flat expression – a sure sign that Regina's not here right now.

            “Hey,” she says, stopping her ministrations and climbing up to hover over her girlfriend’s chest. “Hey. Are you okay?”

            “I’m fine,” Regina murmurs, diving in for another kiss. Emma catches her cheek and coaxes her backwards.

            “No, you’re not. What’s bothering you?”

            “Nothing,” Regina insists, refusing to meet Emma’s eyes and playing with a piece of blonde hair.

            Emma can’t let this go. If Regina’s checking out during sex, then there’s something on her mind, and that’s never good. Emma knows from experience. “Please, Regina, talk to me. Did your mom say something bad?”

            Regina tensed, her jaw working, and she seemed like she was about to scold Emma, because when does Cora _not_ make some awful remark? But then, with pleading eyes, Regina says, “I just need you to fuck me. Please.”

            And so Emma does. She fucks and she pleases and she makes love to Regina because that’s what Regina needs and they can save words for afterwards. All she wants in this moment is to stop Regina’s hurting, to make her forget whatever bullshit her mother had said, to save her from whatever self-loathing she’s drowning in.

            When they’re spent and lying beneath the sheets, Emma pulls Regina in, her bare breasts pressing into Regina’s naked back, arms wrapped around her waist, trying to make her feel safe and loved.

            They’re quiet for a long time, and Emma doesn’t push because she knows when Regina’s like this, that will only make it worse. So she waits and nuzzles Regina’s back and almost falls asleep, not expecting Regina to say anything.

            Until a timid, broken voice whispers into the darkness: “She called me an animal.”

            Emma narrows her eyes. “What?” She wonders if Regina had finally decided to come out to her family.

            Regina sighs, taking in a shaky breath, before continuing. “We were watching the news, and they were talking about that woman in Kentucky, and Mother said she’s proud of her. That since they legalized same-sex marriage, something has to be done. That we can’t let these animals rule the world.”

            Emma remains silent, waiting to see if Regina would say more, and when she doesn’t, Emma hugs her a little tighter and whispers, “You’re not an animal Regina.”

            “Aren’t I?” Regina replies, clearly implying her relationship with Emma.

            “No,” Emma says immediately. “You’re one of the most amazing human beings I’ve ever met. Nothing the two of us do together is dirty.” Emma pauses, considering her words. “Well, maybe it’s a _little_ dirty, but it’s not wrong.”

            Regina doesn’t laugh at the slip-up. “Yes it is. Two…” She sniffs, her torso jerking slightly with the motion. “Two women rolling around in bed together? That’s not animal-like?”

            Understanding Regina’s head-space, Emma presses on. “It’s not just mindless sex, though. We _care_ about each other. We have this loving, committed relationship and we talk and we laugh and we make each other happy.”

            Regina squeezes Emma's arms without response.

            “We’re not animals for having sex together,” Emma insists. “We’re so much more than that.” She plants a kiss on Regina’s bare shoulder and runs a thumb over her smooth stomach.

            “I know that, it’s just…” Regina strokes Emma’s arm. “I’m sorry. I know you hate it when I go, but… they’re my parents. Homophobic or not they still love me and I love them and…”

            “…and you still care about what they think of you. I understand. It’s okay. Just know that no matter what they think of you, I still love you. I think you’re the best thing in the world and I hate that they make you feel this way." Emma nuzzles closer, kissing the back of Regina's neck. "But if visiting your parents every month is what you need to do, then okay. I’ll do whatever you need me to do, even if that’s waiting right here for you to come back.”

            Regina shifts in Emma’s arms, turning to face her. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

            Emma smirks. “You’ve mentioned it a few times…”

            Leaning forward, Regina kisses Emma. Not desperately or violently but gently and with passion, trying to thank her girlfriend for getting her through these weekends and express how much she cares for her.

            “I love you,” Regina says again, pressing her forehead to Emma’s.

            “I love you, too.”


End file.
